Question Time degenerated into a slanging match amid rowdy scenes today as the Opposition Leader and Prime Minister aimed personal barbs at each other.

Tony Abbott painted Julia Gillard as a liar and the Prime Minister told Parliament her opponent was a "hollow, bitter man".

Australian National University students in the public gallery were removed for blowing whistles and causing general uproar as Mr Abbott began his attack.

"It used to be said of the late American president, Richard Nixon, if he rubbed his nose he was telling the truth. It he tugged his ear he was telling the truth, but as soon as he opened his mouth then you knew he was lying," Mr Abbott said to guffaws of laughter from the Opposition.

"That's the problem with this Prime Minister. She said there would be 'no carbon tax under the government that I lead' - there is a carbon tax coming.

"She said there would be a climate change people's convention - there is no people's convention.

"She said there would be an East Timor detention centre before the election - there is no East Timor detention centre. That got lost somewhere in the Timor Sea.

"She said there would never be onshore detention centres - there are onshore detention centres coming to a military base near you."

And so it went on.

"Mr Speaker, this is a Prime Minister who has almost no familiarity with the truth," Mr Abbott said.

"She's said she believed in an emissions trading scheme all along. Well, tell that to the Foreign Minister [Kevin Rudd] whose emissions trading scheme she sabotaged and then whose leadership she destroyed."

He described Ms Gillard as "delusional" and "in full Napoleon mode".

"We've seen real Julia, we've seen fake Julia. We've seen wooden Julia, we've seen teary Julia. We've seen 'All the way with LBJ' Julia, we've seen bible expert Julia, we've seen George Washington 'I will never tell a lie' Julia.

"The fact is, the one thing we've never seen is truthful Julia."

Then it was the Prime Minister's turn.

She reminded the House of Wednesday's anti-carbon tax rally, where Mr Abbott addressed the protesters in front of a sign describing the Prime Minister as "Bob Browns [sic] bitch".

"My criticism is for the Leader of the Opposition for exercising poor judgement, for going out to a rally and associating himself with One Nation, with the League of Rights, with anti-Semitic groups and with grossly sexist signs," Ms Gillard said.

"The judgement in going out to that protest is indicative of a continuing lack of judgement by the Leader of the Opposition.

"At every stage this Leader of the Opposition gets the big judgement calls wrong."

She said Mr Abbott had opposed the Queensland flood levy and the national health agreement before it was announced.

"Here is this bitter, hollow man. A man with no judgement who never gets the big calls right.

"I say to the Leader of the Opposition I believe Australians are increasingly disgusted with his negativity and revolted by his arrogance.

"They see them on display every day. This puffed-up arrogance as he pursues his narrow political interests and goes about spreading fear and negativity in the community.

"There are members on his backbench who will leave this place and sit in their electorate offices and they will think to themselves, 'Did I take out a Liberal Party ticket all of those years ago in order to follow a man like this?'"

Federal Parliament will sit again on Monday even though it was to have wrapped up for a six-week break today.

The Senate is still considering Government bills on the national broadband network.

Manager of Government Business Anthony Albanese says the House of Representatives will return on Monday to vote on the bills once the Senate has voted on them tomorrow.

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